We're No Heroes
by MissSherrie
Summary: Bella is a magnet for trouble.  Her best friend has a secret that someone is ready to kill to suppress.  Edward is assigned to protect Bella, and it becomes a full time job.  Is he up for the task?


**We're No Heroes**

Sweat dripped between my shoulder blades and down my back as I swayed to the beat that was pounding through every inch of my body. I touched Ben's arm to get his attention then mimed a drinking motion to him. He nodded his understanding and turned his attention back to his girlfriend.

Looking back towards my group while waiting at the bar, I noticed a tall blonde man had sidled up to Alice and was watching her with hungry eyes. I grabbed my drink and paid quickly before charging back through the crowd towards my tiny friend. At five foot two and barely a hundred pounds, Alice would have been dwarfed by the man who was now practically plastered up her back, if she hadn't been wearing killer stilettos. I narrowed my eyes at the blonde trying to glue himself to Ali's rear when I arrived. She winked at me and gave a small sly smile before doing a quick kick of her foot as she spinned to the music. I saw his eyes go wide then squeeze shut as he crumpled to the floor. She just kicked him in the balls. I busted out laughing while Ali pretended to apologize for the low blow.

"I didn't realize you were so close," she yelled in his face.

Her eyes twinkled as she turned back to our friends and me. Blondie finally managed to collect himself and moved away across the dance floor.

"Ali," I yelled loudly, "I'll never doubt your ability to take care of yourself again. I swear!"

She stuck her tongue out and shook her head. She knows I'm full of it. I just can't help but go all mama bear when I think my best friend is in trouble. She was a ball of fire when we were kids and always looked out for quiet, mousy, awkward me. Thank goodness I outgrew that. Mostly.

I'm not much taller than her, but at five foot six and fifteen pounds heavier I feel like Tyson beside her. She leaned in and kissed my cheek and continued dancing. Jake looked over her head at me with a bewildered expression and I just shook my head at him.

A cute girl taps Jake on the shoulder. He leans down to hear what she says. His eyes shoot up and search for me. "Dammit Jake," I mutter, "just dance with the girl..."

He looks back to her and smiles gently, then shakes his head 'no'.

Jacob is a great guy. There just isn't anything between us. He's been very understanding and doesn't push me on it. But I can see the hurt in his eyes every time he looks at me. He wants more. My love life would be very different if I felt for Jake the way he says he feels for me. It would be a hell of a lot less awkward when we all hung out, that's for damn sure.

I decide I need to leave, the oppressive heat and noise in the club is suddenly giving me a headache. I tell Angela and Ben before I take off.

I walked a couple of blocks before I get the distinct impression that I am not alone. I speed up my steps and try to scan my surroundings. I can't see anyone, but I can't shake the feeling. I begin a slow jog and can see my building up ahead. Just as I am starting to feel like I'm home free, I notice a man smoking in the shadows of the entrance to a building between me and my building. I slow my jog back to a quick walk. Now what do I do? I still feel like there is someone behind me, but I _know_ that there is someone ahead of me.

I curse softly under my breath and continue on. As I get closer I see the man in the entryway is wearing a hoodie up over a baseball cap pulled low, covering his face. Dammit, this does NOT look good. As I draw even closer, he takes his hands and jams them into his hoodie's pockets. I really hope he doesn't have a gun, or a knife or god knows what else in those pockets. I'm about ten feet away now and closing in quickly. His attention seems to be focused behind me and down the street. That's a good sign right? He's not paying attention to me. I feel a chill run down my spine and the feeling that I am being followed escalates.

"You might want to run again." His voice startles me and I jump. I recover quickly, taking off like a shot running full tilt up to and into my building without looking back.

I changed into my flannel pajamas and piled my hair up in a messy bun on top of my head. Making some tea to settle my nerves, I cuddled up on my couch with my laptop to do some reading when my Blackberry vibrates across the coffee table. I frown and reach for it. There are several BBM's and texts asking where I am and demanding that I respond immediately. My heart starts to pound as I begin to reply to Alice first and more messages continue to arrive.

*Went home. Ang knew. xB*

*Fight club, couldn't find them. Trouble in alley on way home. Wanted 2 B sure UR ok. xA*

*I'm good. U coming home alone? xB*

*Soon, detour around cops. Jake with me. Insisted. xA*

*K. Don't invite him up pls. xB*

*K xA*

Detour around cops? What the hell? I scurry to the window and look out and up the street. Sure enough the cops had the street blocked off about a block away. I'd had my back to the window while reading and hadn't noticed the lights.

I shivered as I recalled the feeling of being followed. I wondered if there had really been someone there, and they'd moved on to a different target when I ran home. Then my mind turned to the man I'd passed who had told me to run. Did he have anything to do with the attack?

I scanned the local news channels and their websites for information on last night after breakfast. Not one story. Not one. I tried searching various keywords and phrases and I didn't get a single hit. I sat at the small kitchen table scowling at my laptop when Alice bounded into the kitchen.

"What's with the face?" she laughs.

"I can't find a single news story or even a quick mention of the attack last night. Not even a whisper. That's really weird, right?" I continue to search, and still come up empty.

"Huh, that is weird. We had to detour way around a couple of blocks in either direction. Jake even had to give me a piggyback. I'm good in my heels, but they are NOT made for long walks..." she trailed off peeking back at me over the fridge door apologetically.

"Oh lord Alice, you're still friends with the guy. So am I." I sighed and rubbed my forehead. Just thinking about Jake makes me feel guilty. But I hadn't done anything wrong. It wouldn't be fair to lead him on and let him hope that there was a chance.

"I know," she muttered while pouring a tall glass of orange juice, "But everything is just so awkward right now." She chugs her juice and rinses her glass before putting it in the dishwasher.

"I know. We need to find him a great girl. Then he can go back to being a fun, happy guy, not the emo pain in the ass he's been." I know I'm not being fair to him. Jacob can't control how he feels any more than I can, but I'm sick and tired of feeling like I was letting him down.

Shopping with Alice should be classified as an Olympic event. Exhausted, I strip out of my jeans and blouse, pull on some yoga pants and my Dad's old sweatshirt over my tank top. Everyone is heading out to the movies, but I plan to stay in and finish reading a story I've gotten hooked on. The weather is still pretty warm, so I decide to take my laptop up to the roof to read outside. The ancient metal fire escapes make me nervous, so I make my way quickly up to the rooftop and settle myself on the old picnic table.

Once my laptop has booted up, I run another quick search to see if anything new has been reported. There is a short piece on a 'traffic interruption', but nothing else. I check my e-mail and send quick responses to my Mom, Dad and sister, then settle in and get lost in the world of mystical creatures and ancient grudges.

I'd been hunched over my screen for about fifteen minutes when the hairs on the back of my neck began to stand up and the feeling of being watched settled into my mind. I twist quickly and scanned the area. I search the windows of the taller buildings surrounding ours, but don't see anyone obviously watching me. I slam my laptop shut and scramble towards the fire escape to climb back into my apartment. I can't go face forward down the stairs, not out of fear, but because if I look down while descending the steep stairs I get a sick feeling in my stomach. Backing down the staircase as quickly as I can, my foot slips and I began to fall. I clutch my laptop to my chest, trying to protect it from the inevitable impact.

My fall is halted by a solid weight against my back and strong arms wrapped around my shoulders.

"Whoa there!" Says a gentle voice. I stiffen immediately and my heart gallops. I am righted and set on my feet, before the arms withdraw. I turn quickly to find a handsome man lowering his tall frame to sit on the window ledge. "That could have been a nasty tumble darlin'."

I shake my head to clear it hoping a deep breath will calm my racing heart and frazzled nerves. "Oh, uhm, yeah. Sorry about that. I lost my footing."

"No trouble. Glad to have been of help." The smile on his face seemed genuine and I began to relax minutely. "I'm Jasper." He reaches out his hand to shake mine briefly, then draws it back and pulls an acoustic guitar into his lap from just inside the window.

"Bella." I manage to blurt out.

"Well, it's nice to have run into you Bella. Drop by again sometime," he winks and begins to strum.

I chuckle as I head down two more levels to my own window.

I shove the apartment door open with my elbow and kick it closed behind me. I pass through to the kitchen and dump my armful of grocery bags on the counter.

"Al! I'm home!"

She doesn't respond so I sigh and begin putting away the groceries. Summer has finally arrived so I walk over and open the fire escape window. I love feeling the breeze through the apartment. I can faintly hear a guitar strumming and know that Jasper is the culprit. I've run into him a few times in the building and he seems to be a nice guy. Alice has taken a particular interest in our musical neighbour.

I head back to her room to find out what her plans are for the evening. I knock softly but there is no response. I can faintly hear music, but it doesn't sound quite right. Alice has a top of the line sound system, yet the music I hear sounds distorted. I knock again and open the door slowly.

"Al, did you want me to whip up something for dinner?"

She's lying in her bed, asleep, with her arm over her eyes and her phone loosely clutched in her hand. I realize that the music I can hear is coming from her phone. I jump as I hear my name called softly through the phone. "Bella, is that you?"

I walk over and take the phone from her hand, turning it off speaker and walk out the door to the hallway. "Jasper?" His slight southern accent is a dead giveaway, but I ask anyway.

"Yeah, it's me. I ran into Alice downstairs and she didn't look too well. She said she had a migraine or something. I didn't want to leave her alone, but she wasn't comfortable letting me stay with her until you got home, so this was the compromise. I said I'd play for her until you got home, and that way I'd still be able to know if she needed something."

I have to bite back the instinct to ooh and aww over his concern. "That's very thoughtful of you Jasper. She gets really bad headaches sometimes. I'm here now, so I'll keep an eye on her. Thanks."

Alice spent most of the weekend in bed fighting off her migraine. When she finally emerged, she eyed me warily. In fact, she's just plain giving me the creeps tonight. "WHAT?" I can't keep the exasperation out of my voice.

She had the good grace to look embarrassed before she started sputtering, "Nothing! Oh, sorry, it's just... Nevermind."

"Alice, for heaven's sake, just spit it out already. Why are you looking at me like that?"

She chews on the corner of her bottom lip for a moment before she starts talking. "I just had some really weird dreams this weekend. You were in some of them, Jasper was in some of them. It was just really strange."

"Dreams, huh. What KIND of dreams..." I wasn't sure I even wanted to know the answer to that. What kind of dreams could Alice have been having that would have led to the almost scared way she was looking at me. "ALICE!"

She had completely zoned out again. He eyes were glassy and unfocused.

"OH!" she startled and her eyes snapped back to my face, "Sorry. I was just remembering." She shook her head violently and then pushed her short black hair back behind her ears. Her bright blue eyes were focused on my brown ones as she enunciated precisely. "Now these were ONLY DREAMS. Okay? So don't get worried."

Well that did it, I was definitely freaked out now. Alice tended to get these 'impressions' or ideas, and she was often, if not always, right. "Okaaaaaay, just spit it out already."

"You, uh. You died." She was now fidgeting with the throw pillow on the armchair she had dropped into.

"Ok. Can you give me a little more information please? HOW did I die?" That's a reasonable question under the circumstances, right?

"Well, that's the part that has me kinda weirded out. It wasn't just one thing. I saw a few different things." She scratched her head just above her ear with a perplexed expression.

"How can I die multiple times, Alice. That's just... impossible."

"I know. Like I said, they were just dreams. But it was just really disconcerting." Now she looked like she might cry.

I got off the couch and walked over to her. "Hey, Ali," I dropped heavily into the chair beside her and wrapped my arms around her. "I know this has you upset because of some of the things you've 'seen' in the past, but sometimes a dream is just a dream." I smiled and kissed her cheek. "I'm fine. I WILL be fine. Just don't stress about it, okay."

She tucked her head under my chin and relaxed against me. "I know, but it still just feels horrible."

I spent the next couple of days constantly looking over my shoulder, being extremely paranoid and superstitious. Of course, nothing happened. Alice went back to her usually boisterous self, but I still caught her watching me like a hawk whenever we were out in public. I tried to push for more specifics about what she had seen, but she wouldn't tell me. I'm contemplating holding her down and subjecting her to tickle torture when I get home tonight to get the information out of her. I'm going crazy. Should I be looking for pianos falling from the sky? Avoiding elevators? Did I choke on a grape? My imagination was on overdrive.

I got up from my seat on the bus as we neared my stop. Of course, my internal musings distracted me from my surroundings as I followed the crowd off and crossed the street towards our building. Suddenly, there was a hand on my wrist as I fell backwards.

"Do you have NO sense of self-preservation!" A harsh voice and a low growl sounded from behind me as I tumbled down. That voice was familiar... and terrifying.

A car speeding down the street hit my purse, which was still moving forward in the opposite direction, and knocked it out of my hand. All I could think was one more step and I would have been under that car. I look back to see who pulled me out of the way and only make out a man in loose jeans and a dark hoodie rushing away in the opposite direction. I try to sit up quickly to get a better look, but the growing group of people gathering around me obscures my view.

I never told Alice about the car incident. She didn't need to know. Or perhaps she already did. I wonder internally if that was one of the things she had seen. Now my paranoia was running rampant. It was ridiculous. I felt like I should wrap myself in layers of bubble wrap before leaving the apartment.

I decide that I needed a break from the city so I'd take a trip to visit my Dad, Charlie. I haven't seen him in a while and I worry that he's been living on pizza and frozen dinners since I moved out.

I pulled my rental car into the driveway and took a moment to take in the house. The white paint is flaking off and the flowerbeds need a good weeding, but otherwise not much has changed. Charlie steps out onto the front porch and smiles at me.

"Hey Bells, it's good to see you. Been too long."

I grabbed my duffel bag and tossed it up the steps towards him. He's still in uniform so he must have just beaten me here.

"Dinner?" It's more of a confirmation than a question.

"Yep, just let me change real quick, and I'll be ready to go."

I move from one framed photo to the next around the room. Photos of my parents at their wedding, the day Rosalie was born, the day I was born, first days of kindergarten, me and Alice playing hopscotch in the driveway, proms, college graduations, Rosalie and Emmett at their wedding.

"Trip down memory lane, Bells?"

I turn around and Dad is leaning against the wall at the entrance to the room with a wistful smile on his lips.

"Yeah. Ready to go?"

Of course Dad insisted on driving the cruiser to the diner. Like everyone in this small town wouldn't have known their Chief of Police without the conspicuous vehicle.

We laugh and talk through dinner. Many people I hadn't seen for years but had known me since I was little stopped by our table to say hello during the evening.

When we got back to the house I grabbed my jammies, my iPod and my bag of toiletries from my room. The house is old, but before my parents had split up Mom had insisted on a bathroom remodel. I planned to make use of the bathtub's high-powered jets for a nice relaxing soak.

While the water runs to fill the tub, I hear the phone ring downstairs. After a moment, Charlie's deep voice sounds from below. "Bella, I've got to run out for a bit. You okay here by yourself?"

I chuckled before answering him. I'm a cop's daughter; I'm used to him rushing out of the house at all hours to attend to calls. Sure, I've been away from home for a number of years now, but I hadn't suddenly developed a fear of being alone.

"Yep, I'm good. Just lock up on your way out. See ya Dad!"

"Will do baby girl. See ya in a little while."

I turned off the water and flipped the switch for the jets. Popping my ear buds in, I set my mellow playlist on shuffle. The hot water felt like heaven and it doesn't take long before my muscles have melted into a puddle of goo. I close my eyes and let my mind drift away...

"WAKE UP DAMMIT!"

I gag and jerk awake. My wet and naked body is lying on the cold tile of the bathroom floor. My head is being held to the side, and I can feel burning and aching pain in my chest. My eyes are blurred and won't focus. My heartbeat is a thundering in my brain. I can't breathe, my lungs won't work. I tried to sit up and can't because something heavy is across my hips. I struggle to focus and realized that there is someone on top of me. I began to panic and thrash wildly. I blink furiously trying to clear my vision.

The weight that is holding me down disappears abruptly, something warm and dry falls over me and I think I hear my bedroom window slam closed.

I hear heavy footsteps on the staircase as my father's panicked voice comes up the hallway, "Bella? BELLA!" The door is thrown open and he pulled me up into his arms. I'm shaking and coughing. I still feel like I'm fighting to breathe.

"Let us through, Chief," says a blue blur that sounds like my prom date.

My vision is starting to clear and I'm stunned to find that I actually am looking into the eyes of my prom date.

"Eric? Dad? What the hell is going on?" I sputtered and grabbed onto the towel that is covering my body and try to cover myself. Eric Yorkie will NEVER see my naked body, ever.

"Bella, just let them take a look at you, then I'll explain." My Dad's pale face and bugged out eyes convince me to just humor them all and let them check out my vitals before I forcefully eject them from the room so that I can at least pull on my jammies.

I emerged from the room to find Charlie waiting for me just outside the door. "What the hell happened? I was relaxing in the tub, then, WHAM, I'm in the Twilight Zone."

I sit stunned as Charlie explained that he'd received a panicked phone call from Alice telling him he needed to get home immediately. She wouldn't explain any further and insisted he call 9-1-1 on the way. Alice has been my best friend since we were in Grade 2 and over the years, he has experienced first-hand Alice's 'impressions'. He didn't question her, he just acted.

When he finished relating the night's events and I'd soothed my raw throat with a cup of tea I went into my room and called Alice. She picked up the call in the middle of the first ring.

"OH GOD, BELLA!" Her voice was a hoarse whisper. I could hear the terror in her voice.

"I'm fine Al. Really. But I need to know what you saw."

I heard her whimper then cover the phone with her hand and mumble something. "Al? Ali, who's there with you?"

"Jasper. Jasper is here. He heard me screaming on the phone to your father and came down to check on me." She took a deep breath and continued, "I can't Bella, I can't... It was, oh GOD..."

She was sobbing again. Painful, heart-wrenching sounds. I heard shuffling and then Jasper's voice on the line. "Bella, are you ok? I've barely been able to get her to hold it together." There's a tone in his voice that I can't identify, but I pushed that aside.

"I'm fine. I'm confused, and sore, but I'm fine. Can you just… can you... Take care of her. Please?" I feel bad asking this of him. We really don't know each other that well.

"Yes darlin'. I was planning on sticking close anyway. Don't you worry. She'll calm down now that she knows you're ok."

I heard knocking in the background and Jasper answering the door.

"I've got to go Bella. Try and get some rest, ok?" When the call disconnected I put my phone down on my night table then crawled under my blankets and fell asleep.

My dreams are disjointed and make little sense. I dream in flashes and snapshots. I awake with a start, an image of a tall man wearing jeans, a ball cap and a hoodie tugging at the edges of my consciousness.

"Alice, really, this is ridiculous. I am more than capable of being on my own for an evening." I was beyond frustrated with Alice's recent clingy behavior. Aside from when we're at work, she is glued to my side. And even then, she still calls or e-mails me half a dozen times a day to check in.

"Please Bella. For me. Just go hang out with Jasper's roommate tonight."

"No Alice. Just, no." Jasper and Alice had become practically conjoined over the last few days. However, her preoccupation with my safety was cutting into the development of their budding romance.

She finally conceded when she realized that I refused to give in. I settled into the couch and was deeply involved in reading the tragic love story when I suddenly felt the hairs on my neck rising again. I snapped my head to the window and was shocked to see a figure perched out on the fire escape. I dropped my laptop onto the coffee table and ran. Grabbing my keys and purse from the hallway table, I shot out the door. I locked it behind me and sprinted to the internal staircase running full tilt up the two floors to Jasper's apartment.

I thumped loudly at the door with both fists. "Please! Please! Open the door. It's Bella from downstairs. There's somebody on my fire escape. Help me. Please!"

The door opened quickly and I jumped inside and slam it shut behind me. A man with cinnamon-colored hair was quickly headed for the window. He had it opened and was out it, heading down, almost faster than I could register.

I stood uncertainly with my back to the door. I didn't want to go any closer to the window. The fact that he left it open made me very uneasy.

Ten minutes later, I was fidgeting uncontrollably, still standing at the front door when the man came back in the window, shutting it tightly behind him and flicking the latch.

He looked around the room quickly and seemed surprised to find me still in the doorway. He motioned for me to sit on the couch and then left the room.

He came back a short time later with a cup of tea, a mug of coffee and milk and sugar on a tray with a plate of various bite size treats. I fix my tea, set it on the side table at my elbow and snag a brownie and a macaroon as I sit back into the corner of the couch.

He was watching me. Actually, studying me would be a better description. His greenish-blue eyes settled on my hands and I realized that I was shaking. I tried to take my thoughts off of the dark-haired man with menacing eyes on my fire escape by concentrating on the seriously beautiful man at the opposite end of the couch. He is tall and in good shape. I could see the muscle definition under his snug gray t-shirt. He had a strong jaw but it's currently covered in a couple of days worth of reddish-brown stubble. His eyebrows are strong and manly, but if I could get my hands on them, I'd definitely do a bit of maintenance. Those puppies are just this side of growing wild. I stifle a giggle at that thought and bite my lip to keep the smile off my face. He quirks an eyebrow at me in question, but doesn't speak.

"So, I'm guessing you're the strong, silent type then?"

He smiles a small half smile, but still says nothing.

"Well, I guess whoever was outside my window wasn't there when you got down there." He shook his head, no. "And I'm guessing you went all the way down and checked for any strange men hanging around the building." He nods and looks down at his hands in his lap. "Ok then." I stand in anticipation of heading back to my own apartment.

He rises quickly, reaching his hand out and grasps my forearm gently. "Stay. Please."

His voice is barely a whisper, but it knocks all of the air out of my body. I collapse back onto the couch and stare open-mouthed at him. My mouth opens and closes when I try to speak but nothing comes out. He eyes me warily and slowly lowers himself back onto the opposite end of the couch.

"It's you…" I manage to mumble once my mouth comes back under my control.

He says nothing, but waits to judge my reaction. I should be running screaming from the room, but I felt no fear, just overwhelming confusion. My mind jumped back to the night at the club. The man outside the building up the street telling me to run. Flash forward to the day I was almost run down by the car on my way home from work. His voice angrily chastising me. Another flash to the night I fell asleep in the tub at my father's house. His hands performing CPR to bring me back to life.

"Why…? How…? You saved me. Three times. I don't understand." My mind was reeling, I couldn't wrap my head around any of this. I begin to feel my heartbeat pick up and my vision blurs. I feel lightheaded and the room begins to spin. As I slip into the gray mist, I feel strong arms wrap around me and then I feel nothing.

I woke up in my bed with the sun shining in my eyes. I forgot to close the blinds last night. Last night. I sat straight up and realized that I am not alone in my bed. I freeze, afraid to find out whose body is weighing down the blankets on my right side. I felt the body shift and turn my head slowly to see rainbow striped toe-sock covered feet. Alice. "Thank god," I mutter.

She sits up slowly and brushes my hair from my forehead and tucks it behind my ear. "How are you feeling?"

"My brain hurts." My overwrought brain goes back to last night and my eyes pop open saucer-sized. "Alice, how did I get back here?"

"We came back as soon as we got the call. Jasper carried you back here. He thought familiar surroundings might be better, for your sanity."

I let out a chuckle. "I think that ship has officially sailed." I stood and grabbed my fluffy pink robe from the back of my door and wrapped it securely around my body. "What the hell is going on, Al?"

She sighs deeply and her shoulders fold into her chest. "There is a lot you know about me that no one else knows, Bella. But even you don't know everything." She stops and gets off the bed, motioning for me to follow her out of my room and down the hall to the kitchen where I sit at the table and she gets us some juice from the fridge. "What do I do for a living Bella?"

"You're a buyer for the department store in town." What a ridiculous question. Ever since we were old enough to dress up our Barbie dolls, Alice has wanted to work in fashion.

"No, I'm not. I work for the CIA. Unofficially, and indirectly. They would never acknowledge me. Even telling you this now is going to cause me to have to wade through paperwork hell tomorrow."

My mind was blank again. Alice. Little, dainty, fashion plate, Alice. My best friend since we first met on the playground. Alice is a…. "You're a spy?"

She laughs, but it is sad sound.

"No, not exactly. I'm classified as a secret weapon."

"What the hell does that mean, Ali."

"The government, they use my 'impressions' to identify, contain and control issues involving foreign governments around the world," she practically mumbles this part.

"So what, you're some kind of superhero?" I'm having a really hard time getting this whole thing settled into my brain. I've known about Alice's talent for a long time, but it had never occurred to me that it is something she can harness or direct.

She whimpers and sighs, "What if I'm not the superhero? What if I'm the bad guy?"

"What are you talking about? You're the kindest, gentlest and loving person I have ever known. Who else would put up with all my drama?" I laugh and look over at her. There's a ghost of a smile on her lips, but it dies almost immediately.

"Wars have been waged and battles fought over things I have seen. People have died because of me."

I didn't even know what to say to that, so I move on. "Ok. So how does all of this fit in with the man on the fire escape and Jasper's roommate's repeated rescues?"

I wouldn't have believed it was possible, but Alice seemed to shrink even smaller. "It's my fault. He's after me. I'm well protected and I have some other tricks you haven't seen. They've decided that the best way to get to me is to go after you. You're the only family I have left, Bella." Her face contorts and her tiny body becomes wracked with sobs.

I reach across the table and run my hand through her hair, gently rubbing her head and pushing her hair out of her eyes. Alice's parents had died when we were in college, and she was an only child. She had become a part of our family. My Mom and her new husband, as well as Charlie, Rosalie and I had always included her in holidays and family events. She was always so happy and full of sunshine and light. I never realized before that it was mostly an act. The Alice sitting across from me now is completely and totally split open in her pain and despair. Aside from my family and me, she truly felt alone in the world.

"Oh sweetie, you're my sister, just as much as Rose. But I'm sorry Ali, I still don't understand. What does Jasper's roommate have to do with all of this?"

There was a soft knock at the door, and I jumped, startled.

"Hold that thought." She headed to the door and opened it, admitting Jasper and his roommate. She motioned to me to come out into the living room where we could all sit down. "Well, since you've never been formally introduced, I guess there is no time like the present. Bella, this is Edward."

"Hello Bella. How are you feeling?" His voice was warm and comforting. He moved slowly towards the arm chair where he lowered himself gingerly, almost like he was trying to avoid startling me. It occurred to me that Alice has been doing the same thing since I woke up. I wonder if they are worried that I am going to have some kind of mental breakdown.

"I'm a little bit overwhelmed at the moment, but I'm trying hard to keep up."

Alice and Jasper settled on to the far end of the couch side by side, and he wrapped his arm protectively around her shoulders.

"Okay, back to your question. What does Edward have to do with all of this? You see Bells, I'm not the only person with unusual talents working for governments." She looks meaningfully at Jasper, then Edward, then back to me. "Edward has been assigned to keep watch over you and keep you safe. After I had that weekend full of all of those awful visions of you dying, I went to my superiors and demanded that you be protected. I told them that if anything happened to you I'd never work for them again."

I look from Alice to Edward and back again. "Assigned. As in protection detail?" This is ludicrous. I have a government-issued bodyguard.

Edward chuckled lightly at my description. "Something like that, yes."

"But how? How did he know when I was in danger? I never saw him around me." This is too bizarre.

"Well, like I said, I'm not the only one with special talents." Alice says the word 'talents' like it's a dirty word and the taste it leaves in her mouth is sour.

"Um, ok. What kind of talents do you have Edward?" I looked into his eyes and I could see him weighing his options. I could almost see the exact moment when he decides to just spit it out.

"I'm a mind reader, and I possess excessive strength and speed." He seemed almost embarrassed to admit his special talents to me, so I moved on.

"Okaaaaay. So Jasper, you don't seem even remotely surprised by all of this. What's your part in this?"

His eyes shoot to me. He'd been concentrating his attention on Alice but now his surprised eyes search mine. He obviously didn't expect me to question his presence or knowledge. He cleared his throat and looked to Alice who just nodded at him.

"Well, Bella. I am also here on an assignment." His attention wandered back to the tired-looking woman curled into his side.

"You're Alice's bodyguard?" I narrow my eyes at her. "I thought you said you could take care of yourself?"

"I can," she laughed, "He's not here as my body guard. He's here for… emotional support."

"Explain." I'm beginning to feel like I was drowning in information overload, but I'm desperate to understand what I suddenly realized I've been neck-deep in without knowing it.

"I am sensitive to the feelings of others and have the ability to influence moods. I am here to help keep Alice calm until we have neutralized the threat to you." He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her temple.

"Well, no offence, but that seems a bit too familiar for a working relationship."

Alice's cheeks burned a bright pink at my thoughtless words, Jasper looked down at the floor and Edward tries unsuccessfully to contain a snort.

"Oh crap. Ignore me, I'll shut up now."

"No, no. You're right. After you made friends with Jasper that day on the fire escape and then we kept running into him around the building, I began inviting him out for coffee or lunch while you were at work. It was just to talk at first and to try to come up with some solutions to keep you safe and contain the threat while Edward was keeping an eye on you. But the more time we spent together, the more we… Well, I fell for him." She gazed into his eyes, and her feelings for Jasper were as plain as the cute little button nose on her face.

The next few weeks pass without incident. I'd been briefed about the man believed to have been hired to eliminate me. His name is Demetri and he's what they referred to as a 'tracker'. They're unsure who is behind the plot to get Alice out of the way by going after me. Edward advised me that he had felt the man's presence by hearing his thoughts on a couple of occasions, but he hadn't come close enough to me to be a threat. He appeared to be gathering information only at this point.

This particular evening, Edward and I are spending the night at my apartment watching movies. He'd picked an action adventure, and I'd picked some fluffy adaptation of a series of books I'd heard about from Rosalie. Alice and Jasper had travelled to their head office to provide a report on the status of the situation.

My mind wandered from the movie and back to this whole messed up situation. I'm debating the merits of just handing myself over to this Demetri character when I notice the movie has been paused. I looked over at Edward and he's staring at me with a frown on his face.

"What?"

"I'm just wondering what it is that you are thinking about that has your face all scrunched up like that."

I sneer at him and stick my tongue out. Yes, that's right, I'm a grown up. Then I realize with a start that he is serious.

"What do you mean? I thought you were a mind reader?"

"I am," he confirms. "Sometimes people can mask their thoughts from me by consciously redirecting their focus, but yours is the first mind I haven't been able to gain any kind of access to. It's very frustrating. I never know what you're thinking."

Well, that is actually a bit of a relief. I really don't need Edward knowing that fantasies of him have begun a regular rotation in my overactive imagination. I've been walking around the last little while with a nearly permanent blush whenever he is near. The fact that he doesn't have access to my mind is a very welcome piece of information.

"So Edward. The times that you saved me… None of you have ever told me how Demetri caused those things to happen to me? What other talents does he have?"

Edward has just taken a big sip from his water bottle before I asked my questions, and performs a perfect spit take coating the coffee table. He turned to look at me with an incredulous expression. He began laughing, hard. He shook his head, as he finally seemed to get a grip on himself. The sound of his unrestrained laughter leaves a warm spot in my heart. He looked so young and care free there for a brief moment.

"Bella, Demetri had nothing to do with any of those incidents. That was all you. You're your own worst enemy. I honestly don't know how you've managed to stay in one piece this long on your own. You're a magnet for danger."

I huffed at him and grabbed the remote from his hand, ignoring the warm feeling that spreads from where our fingers brushed against each other, and restarted the movie.

We've been pretty much barricaded for the past few weeks. If not holed up in either our apartment or Jasper and Edward's, I've been hiding out at work while Edward prowled around outside the building.

I left my desk for a quick break. I took advantage of my upright position to raise my arms over my head and stretch out my aching back. Sitting in front of a computer screen for eight-hour stretches should be outlawed. I rubbed my hand over my tired eyes forgetting that I actually put on a bit of makeup this morning. Now it's all over my hand, and I can only imagine what my face looks like. I headed into the ladies room to survey the damage.

I was leaning over the counter trying to wipe off the worst of my smudged mascara and cursing myself for not using waterproof when a pretty blonde girl entered the room. Her eyes pop open in surprise since the postage-sized bathroom means she's already practically standing up against me. Her startling blue eyes drop to the floor and she apologized and gave me a smile saying, "Hi, I'm Jane. I'm fairly new to town," she continued on as if I asked. "What's there to do around here for fun?"

"Um, hi, I'm Bella. Well…" I stumbled for words because, frankly, other than hanging out with Alice and the guys, we really haven't DONE anything in ages. In fact, the last time we actually went anywhere was the night at the club. "There's a pretty cool club not too far from my place that we go to sometimes. It's called Twilight."

"Great! I'll meet you there tonight at eight," she flashes me a brilliant smile and spins around, practically running from the room.

I stand there for a moment trying to absorb what just happened. What. The. Hell? Well, I guess we're going out tonight. I think Alice might kill me. Damn.

I scan the packed club again to see if I can catch sight of Jane. I have no idea how she thinks she's going to find me in a place this big. Now I'm feeling guilty for not making better arrangements, but it's not like she actually gave me the opportunity.

Angela is talking to me, but I haven't been listening to a word she's said. She stops and smacks me on the shoulder. "BELLA?" Her hands are on her hips now and her head is cocked off to one side. Shit. She's pissed.

"Sorry, I'm trying to find the chick from work. I don't want to miss her." I shrugged and asked her to repeat what she just said.

"Nevermind. You've obviously got something more important to do." She turned to face Ben, leaving her back to me. Ben looks at me over her shoulder and winks while he pushes the hair back off her shoulder and plants soft kisses up her neck. I can see her relax into him and he winks at me again.

I mouth the word "Thanks!" to him for distracting her.

I turn to my other side and am momentarily blinded by the riot of reflected lights off Alice's sequined mini-dress. Surprisingly, she was ecstatic when I told her about going out tonight. I shouldn't really have been surprised. Alice is an extrovert, and she was made for socializing. She bounced beside me, clutching Jasper's arm and beaming up at him. He looked back at her with adoration. It's actually kind of sickening, but cute too. They've been practically inseparable for the past two weeks. They moved gracefully through the crowd and began dancing together. I envy them and their little bubble of happiness.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to speak to Edward but am struck speechless. It's not Edward's hand. It's Jake.

I can see Edward's tense face looking over Jake's shoulder at me. Dammit. He knows what Jake is thinking, and it's probably not anything I'd want him to know.

"Hi Bells," Jake smiles down at me as he takes my hand. "Come dance with me?" He didn't really give me a chance to respond as he pulled me to join the multitude of denim clad men and tightly wrapped women. I caught Edward's eye just before his face is obscured from view and am shocked to see that he looks angry. No, that's not strong enough, he's furious. What could Jake be thinking? He wouldn't hurt me. Would he? If he intended to hurt me, there's no way Edward would have let me go with him.

I tried to find him in the crowd, knowing that he'd find a way to stay near me. That is his JOB after all. Jake put his hands on my hips and we began to move to the deep bass. My movements were stiff and uncomfortable. Edward's fierce expression was burned into my brain. I continued surreptitiously scanning my surroundings, but couldn't catch hide nor hair of him.

I began to loosen up a bit as Jake seemed to be on his best behavior. His hands stayed put on my hips and his face was open and friendly. No hint of the usual awkwardness. Just as I began to actually enjoy myself I spot Edward about twenty feet away, with a tall, thin redhead wrapped around him. I mean she's practically attached to him. A surgeon might be required to pry her off. His arms are wound around her tightly, and her hands are in his hair, pulling his head towards her blood red lips. His eyes are staring intently into mine.

My heart stops, and then begins to thud furiously. I feel like I want to stomp over there and rip the hair right off her head. I'm totally shocked by the sheer rage that boils in my chest at seeing Edward with a woman all over him. I stop moving abruptly, realizing that I'm jealous. Not just a little bit envious, but downright green-eyed-monster jealous. I don't want that woman anywhere near him. In fact, I don't want ANY woman anywhere near MY Edward. Oh, crap.

Jake touches my shoulder lifts his shoulders in question. I lean up to his ear and yell so that he can hear me over the crowd, "Be right back!" I turn around and quickly make my way towards the back of the club and the ladies room. I needed to find somewhere quieter so that I could take a minute to process my reactions. Just before I reach the hallway, Jane steps out in front of me.

"Hi Bella, there you are! Can you help me find my boyfriend? I seem to have lost him while I was looking for you."

"Um, sure." She took my hand and began to pull me forward. I'm surprised by the strength of her grip. Her hand is clamped painfully around mine. I looked up from our clasped hands to see where we are headed and noticed that instead of heading back towards the club, she was pulling me quickly past the bathrooms and towards the emergency exit.

I start to ask why we are going this way as she pulls me harder and shoves me out the door. I stumble and put my hands out in front of me to try and stop myself from falling. Huge arms wrap around me and I look up, right into the face of the man from my fire escape. "HOLY SHIT!" Duct tape is slapped over my mouth, I'm shoved unceremoniously into the trunk of a car, and the lid is slammed down.

I can't see my watch in the dark trunk, but it felt as though we'd only travelled for fifteen minutes before I felt the car stop and heard the engine cut off.

The man's voice is deep and harsh. I could only make out the words "keep her under control and uninjured" before the trunk is popped and a coat is thrown over my head.

My skin is prickling, like I'm being bitten by dozens of mosquitoes. I struggle to slap them away while I'm dragged across cracked pavement.

"What the hell?" It's Jane's voice, and she sounds aggravated.

Suddenly the dozen mosquitoes turn into a hundred bees. I shriek and begin to struggle vigorously.

"Well, that's new." It's the man, and he sounds amused. He chuckles darkly.

I was shoved down into a chair and the coat was pulled off and tossed aside. "Well, well. I finally got my hands on you. Took some work, but sometimes the simple plans are the best. Right, Jane?"

I look around and see her standing just behind me and to my right. She glared at me like I'd just broken her favorite toy.

"What are you going to do to me?" My voice is shook and I bit my lip to try and contain the trembling.

"We may have to alter our plan a bit," his tone is thoughtful. "We were going to lure out your friends with your torture." His eyes flashed to Jane, then back to me. "But it appears that may not be as easy as we first thought."

I swear to God Jane was hissing behind me. She sounded like a tire that had sprung a leak. I chanced a quick look in her direction and immediately dropped my eyes to my knees. She looked like some kind of wild animal. Her face was twisted almost unrecognizably.

Before I can even register the movement, Edward is standing toe to toe with Demetri, both of his elegant hands wrapped around Demetri's neck.

Jane snorts indelicately and then focuses her glare on Edward. His body convulses and his arms freeze in mid air, losing their grip on Demetri who takes a couple of large steps back. He draws a couple of deep breaths and rubs his neck with one massive hand then begins to chuckle. It's one of those maniacal laughs that you always hear from the bad guys in tacky horror movies. It sends a chill racing down my spine.

"The interesting side effect of Jane's wonderful talent is that while she disables you with crushing pain, you're also unable to lie. You will tell me exactly what I want to know. Whether you want to or not." He walked up and sneered directly in Edward's face. "I'll enjoy crushing your little girlfriend with my bare hands. So soft and helpless, like a baby deer. Ah, I guess that explains the doe eyes..." He laughed at his own joke and Jane smirked in agreement.

Edward struggled to reach me against Jane's hold.

"Now, now," Demetri tuts, "we can't have you picking her brain to determine possible exit strategies, can we Edward." He lifts his hand and motions to Jane to increase the amount of force she is exerting.

"I can't hear her mind," Edward whimpers, "She poses no threat to you. Let her go." The last words are ground out through gritted teeth. The sound cuts through my heart. His pain is purely etched all over his face and on display in the way his entire body slumped in on itself.

"Not at all?" Demetri's tone suggests he is astounded. He turns to face me and I debate whether I can sprint to Edward's side before Demetri can stop me.

His pale face drew up into a devilish grin. With twinkling eyes, he searched my face for a reaction so I dropped my gaze to floor to shut him out. "Is that so? Your mind is quiet to him. Completely?" He moved swiftly to my side and forced my chin up with his thumb and forefinger. "Well, isn't that marvelous. Here I am searching out all kinds of special talents to counteract him. I have considered radioactive spiders, and Kryptonite. Every ridiculous fairy tale and urban legend, and here you are, the natural solution. And the cause of the initial problem. How interesting."

Jane's attention is completely focused on her control of Edward's body. Her bloodshot eyes the only outward evidence of the strain her powers place on her body. I'm becoming frantic. Alice must have seen something by now. Why isn't the cavalry swooping in to save the day? Surely the government must have some vested interest in preserving Edward's life, even if they deem mine to be an acceptable loss. I quickly approached panic level and I barely register a shadowy movement off in the corner of the room.

I notice that Edward's body suddenly relaxes slightly, but Demetri catches it too. He walks towards Jane, quirking his eyebrow at her for an explanation.

"I... I just felt... He's suffered enough?" Her voice became more confused and high-pitched as she speaks. As if she can't believe the words coming out of her own mouth.

Demetri stepped back towards Jane quickly grabbing a hold of her bicep and shaking her sharply. "Get on your guard Janie, we're not alone anymore."

"Jasper!" The whispered word is out of my mouth before I can stop it. Demetri's eyes are shooting back and forth across the room as if he expected an attacked from any angle.

I heard Jasper's voice float out from the blackness, "That's right. You don't want to hurt him any more, do you Janie? He's suffered enough."

Jane's eyes become hard and she takes a couple of steps forward while Edward collapses to the floor, grunting harshly.

"NO!" I sprinted towards him but was stopped abruptly as Demetri's enormous hand shot out in front of me and wrapped around my throat. He began squeezing with all his might and bright red light accompanied by shooting stars of light danced in my vision.

"LET. HER. GO. NOW!" Alice's voice is harsh and venomous. I'd never heard her sound like that in my entire life. I love Alice like a sister, but the tone she's using is even scaring me. Suddenly, I am flying through the air. I collide with something solid, feeling something crack in my side before I land in a heap on the floor.

"I'm certainly not afraid of you!" He laughs loudly. "What can you do to me little lady? Tell me how long you have left to live and how painful and slow your deaths will be?"

Alice steps right up to him, placing her diminutive frame just outside of his reach. Her red-ringed eyes are flashing with icy blue intensity. "There are other talents I have, that I've never made anyone aware of. I haven't needed to use them… much. But as I've often told Bella, I am quite capable of taking care of myself." She moves her head slightly and focuses her glare on Jane. Jane's face takes on the tell-tale look that appears when she gathers her power. My eyes snap to where Edward is lying on the floor with Jasper tries to soothe the residual effects of Jane's previous attack. If she focused on him again, I doubt he would survive.

Suddenly, Demetri's face contorted and a hiss escapes his clenched jaw. My eyes bounce back and forth between Demetri and Jane. Her eyes are now wide with disbelief. I'm not sure exactly what happened, but it appears as though Alice is somehow forcing Jane to use her power against Demetri. While Alice's furious expression flickers back and forth between the two kidnappers, my focus slipped back to Jasper and Edward who is now sitting up. He is still breathing heavily, but the unnatural purple color is fading from his face.

The room is suddenly awash with bright lights and voices yelling. My eyes shoot back to Alice to see that her furious glare has been replaced by a peaceful expression. Her eyes catch mine briefly and I saw her relax and noticed Demetri and Jane's bodies relax before both of them begin to rush forward as Alice stepped quickly back towards the far wall.

Loud voices yelling "Don't move!" and "Freeze or we will fire!" ring out, followed quickly by the deafening sounds of gunfire.

I drop to the floor and throw my hands over my head, terrified that one of my friends will be killed in the mass confusion. The room then becomes eerily quiet, and I feel Alice's petite hands rubbing my back as she whispers in my ear, "It's all over Bella. Come on, let's get out of here." She helps me up from the floor and we're joined by Jasper, who is supporting Edward as we make our way out the back door and into the alley behind the club.

"Oh, god, Alice. I've never been happier to see you in my entire life." I squeezed her to my chest tightly. My brave little angel. She's my hero, they all are and I tell them so.

"Oh Bella, we're no heroes. Trust me." Her face twists into a grimace of sadness and pain.

"Well, you are to me. No matter what else you all may have done, you saved my life. You're MY heroes."


End file.
